Samsung said its mobile division generated 2.74 trillion won in
quarterly profit compared with 6.43 trillion won a year earlier.
However, bigger overall sales could be connected to a loss in the
high-end market to Apple. Consumers flocked to Apple’s new iPhones with bigger
screens that were introduced in September.

Earlier this week Apple released quarterly earnings that turned
out to be its second-largest ever. The company reported $58 billion in
revenue and $13.6 billion in net profit. The US tech giant sold
61 million iPhones in the first three months of the year while
Samsung sold 83 million smartphones during the quarter, which is
down 6 percent from a year earlier.

However, Samsung is optimistic predicting a recovery in the
second-quarter. The company is counting on sales of its pair of
new Galaxy phones - Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge that went on
sale in 20 countries on April 10. The South Korean company
suggests that China and India will drive demand for its
smartphones this year, despite the tough competition from makers
like Xiaomi and Micromax in those markets.

Samsung also sets its hopes on its semiconductor business which
supplies chips and displays for makers of smartphones and
televisions, including Apple. The components division began
accounting for more than half of the company’s total operating
profit from the third quarter of 2014, and contributed 57 percent
of operating profits in the latest quarter.